Chapter 6: Chronicler
Night soon fell, and I was feeling worn out from the day's events. I had left Senku and Chrome in the Shed of Science, as the two talked about what life was like before the green light hit. I didn't need to hear it, as it would just make me homesick. So, I went out to try and find a comfortable tree to sleep under.
"Hey, David!" I heard Kohaku's voice call out.
I looked over and saw Kohaku walking through the forest. Her shield and daggers were on her back, and in her arms she carried a dark blue tunic and dark blue pants.
"Nice." I said, my tone grateful. "Thank you, Kohaku."
"You're welcome." Kohaku replied, handing me the clothes. "You're a lot less rude then Senku."
"Hey, that's just how I was raised. Speaking of being less rude, do you mind?"
"Mind what?"
I made a motion that I was going to strip down, and Kohaku understood, quickly turning her head so that she couldn't see. I then took off my vine and leaf loincloth, which I threw to the side. I then put on a pair of undergarments that were underneath the pants and shirt. Afterwards, I slipped on the pants, and then the dark blue tunic; it felt a lot more normal now that I was wearing clothes once again. The last piece of the clothing was a tan rope belt, which I tied around my waist.
"Sorry I couldn't bring you sandals, but it takes a while to chisel out a pair." Kohaku spoke, turning around so she could see me.
"That's alright." I replied. "Besides, I like the feel of the dirt beneath my feet."
The two of us were then quiet, as I was trying to think of something for us to talk about. My mind then went to her sister, and the hot springs water, so I felt that would be something to converse on.
"So, did you get the water to your sister?" I asked, after a few seconds of silence.
"Yes." Kohaku replied. "She's thankful, and the baths help soothe her sickness. But she doesn't seem to be getting any better."
"Hmm… I learned from Chrome that her name is Ruri, and that he's trying to find a cure for her."
"Yeah, Chrome is trying to find a cure for her. He has a crush on my sister, but he won't admit it. He's like a little kid when it comes to talking about her; it's actually kind of cute."
I smiled and then said, "I've got to give you high marks for helping your sister. Honestly, if my brothers were sick as well, I'd be trying to help them too."
"You have brothers?" Kohaku asked, her tone now interested.
"Yep, two of them. Tom and Abraham; Abraham's my older brother, and Tom's my younger brother. I also have a mom and dad, but considering the circumstances we're in, I don't know if I should use the word 'had' or not."
"Your parents really picked strange names for you and your brothers. But, what do you mean that you should use the word 'had'?"
"Well, to put it simply, I'm not from around here, as I come from a far away land. I was just over here visiting when the green light hit."
"The green light?" Kohaku asked, her tone confused.
Then I remembered what Senku told me: Kohaku wasn't freed from the stone like us, but was a descendants of those who came earlier. I had to remember that, and start from the beginning.
"Well, where I come from is kind of a long story. Care to listen?" I asked.
"Sure, I need something to put me to sleep." Kohaku replied, her tone somewhat joking.
I laughed a little, and then motioned for us to take a seat on the roots of a large tree.
"I don't know if you trust me or not, so you don't have to tell your life story." I said. "But, I will tell mine, which will give you an idea of what Senku and I are going through."
I started by telling what the world was like, three thousand and seven hundred years ago. I told how the world had technology, which allowed us to do all kinds of wondrous things. I made sure, though, to not overdo it; I didn't want Kohaku to have an information meltdown.
I then told her about my family, how we lived in America, and how there were other lands that were out there. I told how I came over to Japan, to study and become a writer. Then I told about the green light, how everyone was turned to stone, and how I was stuck like that for three thousand and seven hundred years. I told how I awoke, wandered around for a couple days, encountered Tsukasa, followed him, and then met Kohaku and Senku.
"Afterwards, we all came to the village, and then we met Chrome." I concluded. "And here I am now."
The look on Kohaku's face was one of amazement, like it was one of the most amazing stories she had ever heard.
"It amazes me that there was a world before any of us even existed." Kohaku spoke, her tone quiet. "But, if things were going so great, if you had these advancements, who would want to remove all of it? You said that it took thousands of years for what you talked about to be created, only to have it wiped out by some strange green light, that turned everyone into statues? Why?"
"I don't know." I replied. "But, there's one thing I know for sure: Senku is our only hope. He has everything, the entire knowledge of the world from long ago, right inside his mind. And I believe that God is with him, in his quest to restore the world. So, I will stand by his side, and help this 'Kingdom of Science' in any way that I can."
"Who is with Senku?" asked Kohaku, her tone confused.
"God the father." I replied. "Adonai, the one true God, the creator of the universe, the first above all others."
Kohaku looked even more confused at what I was saying; she probably had never heard of God. That was another story I was going to tell. And, unlike the story of being trapped in stone for a long time, this story was the greatest story ever told.
"I guess it's time to tell another story." I spoke. "And this story takes place way before Senku and I were even ideas."
I had told Kohaku about how God created the world, the fall of man, and then about the worldwide flood. However, I soon grew weary from telling the stories, and Kohaku was tired as well. So, the two of us just went to sleep, underneath the starry sky, and against the large tree.
I awoke the next morning to a wonderful sunrise, with a red sky and yellow sun, just like the one in The Lion King. As I got up from under the tree, I noticed that Kohaku was gone; she probably woke up earlier than me.
I got up, ate some berries for breakfast, and then went to go find Senku. As I was humming some notes from that Circle of Life song, I was called over by Senku. He, Chrome, and Kohaku were waiting for me by the Shed of Science.
"Good morning, Senku." I said, approaching the three. "Chrome, Kohaku. What's going on?"
"I want to offer you a job in the Kingdom of Science." Senku replied, his tone blunt. "From what Kohaku's told me, you're quite the storyteller, and you can tell about real events with no problem. So, I want to make you our chronicler."
"A chronicler?" I asked.
"Scribe, bookkeeper, whatever you it. I want you to keep a log-book of the events that happen to us, who joins the Kingdom of Science, our friends and enemies, and how we are progressing. I'll be able to make you an empty book and some ink, so you'll have no problems. What do you say?"
I looked at Kohaku, who gave a nod of approval. With a smile on my face, I stuck out my hand and said, "It's a done deal. I'll be the chronicler for the Kingdom of Science."
A grin spread over Senku's face, and he shook hands with me. Now it was official, I was the Chronicler for the Kingdom of Science! Of course, I didn't have my tools yet, but I could still keep track of the things he wanted me to write down. Those things included the members of the Kingdom of Science, our friends and enemies, and our progress.
Around noon, Senku announced that the first project of the Kingdom of Science, was to make an antibiotic for Ruri. Unfortunately, we didn't have the necessary resources in order to make one. We would have two ways of getting the resources, which were the easy way and the hard way. The easy way was a game of chance, which meant a lot of praying and hoping that we would just stumble upon what was needed.
But, I don't think that God had it in mind for us to go with the easy way, so we would have to go with the hard way. The hard way was doing it step-by-step, which could be accomplished with a ton of diligence, manpower, and prayer. But that meant we would have to gather all of the necessary ingredients to make an antibiotic. And just to get the point across, Senku drew an entire diagram of what was to be collected. And let tell you, it was a lot!
"Whoa man, that's bad!" said Chrome, his tone excited as he saw the diagram. "Guess this iron stuff's first, but I don't even know what that is. There's so much for me to learn!"
"Iron's not particular easy to get." Senku replied.
"Professor Senku's science class." Kohaku spoke tiredly, before letting out a groan. "I feel like I'm already behind."
"I know how you feel, Kohaku." I said, staring in disbelief at the diagram. "Science was not one of my best subjects either."
Senku then let out a sigh and said, "Considering how complicated this whole thing is going to be, we should at least take a day to prepare ourselves. Besides, I have a matter to attend to."
"And that would be?" I asked.
"Making a logbook for you, David." Senku replied.
After saying that, Senku climbed up the ladder and went into the Shed of Science, with Chrome following. Kohaku then went to go get hot springs water for her sister, and I decided to go with her, as I had nothing better to do.
In the evening, Senku gave me the logbook he had made. It had a leather cover, cords holding it together, and empty pages inside. He also gave me a leather pouch with ink in it, and a pen made out of metal and wood.
I was officially the Chronicler for the Kingdom of Science.
Chronicler Log #1
Kingdom of Science - Members
Senku - Leader, Professor
Chrome - Scientist, Resource Gatherer
Kohaku - Muscle, Protector
David (Me) - Muscle, Chronicler
Kingdom of Science - Allies and Enemies
Village - Hopeful Allies
Tsukasa - Enemy
Kingdom of Science - Progress
First Project - Make an Antibiotic to help Ruri recover from sickness.
Notes
The first log in this new logbook. I give a special thanks to Senku for making this for me. Nothing really important to write down as notes at the moment. I don't really know what to expect from this quest to gain antibiotics, but let's hope that we can cure this Ruri girl.